Who is the biggest has-been in college football? (record, teams, programs)
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I think the turning point of the UT football program came about after getting blown out by an 7-6 Bama team in 2007 (who also lost to UL Monroe) 41-17. Its been downhill for UT ever since.
But UT will be back at some point, but its harder now since the rise of the South Carolina football program.
That game sucked, but it had nothing to do with Tennessee's ensuing troubles. In fact, after that game, Tennessee went on to win out the rest of the 2007 regular season, lose a nail-biter SEC championship game to eventual BCS champ LSU thanks to two late interceptions (one of them for a touchdown), then beat Wisconsin in a New Year's Day bowl. So the Bama loss that year, while painful to watch, didn't have much of a lingering effect.
The problems started that off-season when OC David Cutcliffe left to take the Duke job and Fulmer hired Dave Clawson as his replacement. The guy was absolutely clueless about how to utilize the talent he had, and the product he put on the field was as woefully inept as Sunseri's defense was this year. It was brutal. Tennessee's lack of offense that year resulted in a 5-6 season and the firing of Fulmer, and the rest is history. First came the Kiffin disaster, then the Dooley disaster.
Butch Jones has a lot of work to do to restore Tennessee to prominence, but I think he's got what it takes. He's a talented coach, and he wants to be in Knoxville. Kiffin and Dooley were both one-for-two there at best.
I think the turning point of the UT football program came about after getting blown out by an 7-6 Bama team in 2007 (who also lost to UL Monroe) 41-17. Its been downhill for UT ever since.
The new S.I. preseason ranking are out for next fall.
SEC teams who are ranked:
Alabama
Texas A&M
South Carolina
Florida
Georgia
LSU
Vanderbilt
Every year anymore, we hear about how we just watched "the worst team in ut history" and how it will never be that bad again. But year after year, we end up hearing the one we just saw was the "worst ever." With Bray, Patterson, Hunter + some key guys on "D" now gone, won't this next losing season be the inevitable next "worst ut team ever" (again)?
There is a tern for this - it's called a TREND. ut football is on a downhill spiral TREND. No amount of pretending that it is an isolated case of the most recent team being some sort of "worst ever" aberration will not fool anybody outside of Knox County, TN. (and probably not very many within)
It's sort of like the washed-up jock who is now balding and badly out of shape hanging around a bar all the time talking about how great he was 20 years ago. Or Al Bundy, of 4 TD's in one game fame, now selling women's shoes.
Speaking of next year for UT here is their schedule
8/31 Austin Peay
9/7 Western Kentucky
9/14 @Oregon
9/21 @Florida
9/28 South Alabama
10/5 UGA
10/19 South Carolina
10/26 @Alabama
11/2 @Missouri
11/9 Auburn
11/23 Vandy
11/30 @Kentucky
Losses
Western Kentucky (wouldnt be a major shock, lost to Wyoming in recent past, struggles against UAB, struggled against Akron last season)
@Oregon-Blowout loss. 66-0. The score will be 35-0 at the half
@Florida-The losing streak continues
UGA-UGA will not be ready to play a game like this, but they will find a way to win.
South Carolina-Better game than expected last year, and probably will be again this season, but the outcome will be the same.
@Alabama-Blowout loss. 52-6. Score will be 6-6 at the half just to give Vol fans some hope.
Vandy-Just to remind Vol fans how far their program has fallen, and it will be another blowout loss at home.
Wins
Austin Peay-How many people will show up for this game, this game isnt even pay-per-view worthy, ESPN3 wont even touch this one.
South Alabama-Maybe a slightly larger crowd, and its a convincing win against a school in Alabama.
@Missouri-Close game, but will probably determine who will be ahead of Kentucky in the SEC East.
Auburn-A no win for any Alabama fan, but I would rather see the vols win this one.
Kentucky-Battle for last place in the SEC East.
SEC teams who are ranked:
Alabama
Texas A&M
South Carolina
Florida
Georgia
LSU
Vanderbilt
Every year anymore, we hear about how we just watched "the worst team in ut history" and how it will never be that bad again. But year after year, we end up hearing the one we just saw was the "worst ever." With Bray, Patterson, Hunter + some key guys on "D" now gone, won't this next losing season be the inevitable next "worst ut team ever" (again)?
There is a tern for this - it's called a TREND. ut football is on a downhill spiral TREND. No amount of pretending that it is an isolated case of the most recent team being some sort of "worst ever" aberration will not fool anybody outside of Knox County, TN. (and probably not very many within)
It's sort of like the washed-up jock who is now balding and badly out of shape hanging around a bar all the time talking about how great he was 20 years ago. Or Al Bundy, of 4 TD's in one game fame, now selling women's shoes.
"Trends" in college football don't continue forever, especially where storied programs with top-notch facilities and massive fan bases are concerned. If that were the case, Alabama would have been exiled from the SEC by now based on extrapolating their "trend" from 1996-2006.
Also, preseason rankings don't mean s---. Ask USC.
Speaking of next year for UT here is their schedule
8/31 Austin Peay
9/7 Western Kentucky
9/14 @Oregon
9/21 @Florida
9/28 South Alabama
10/5 UGA
10/19 South Carolina
10/26 @Alabama
11/2 @Missouri
11/9 Auburn
11/23 Vandy
11/30 @Kentucky
Losses
Western Kentucky (wouldnt be a major shock, lost to Wyoming in recent past, struggles against UAB, struggled against Akron last season)
@Oregon-Blowout loss. 66-0. The score will be 35-0 at the half
@Florida-The losing streak continues
UGA-UGA will not be ready to play a game like this, but they will find a way to win.
South Carolina-Better game than expected last year, and probably will be again this season, but the outcome will be the same.
@Alabama-Blowout loss. 52-6. Score will be 6-6 at the half just to give Vol fans some hope.
Vandy-Just to remind Vol fans how far their program has fallen, and it will be another blowout loss at home.
Wins
Austin Peay-How many people will show up for this game, this game isnt even pay-per-view worthy, ESPN3 wont even touch this one.
South Alabama-Maybe a slightly larger crowd, and its a convincing win against a school in Alabama.
@Missouri-Close game, but will probably determine who will be ahead of Kentucky in the SEC East.
Auburn-A no win for any Alabama fan, but I would rather see the vols win this one.
Kentucky-Battle for last place in the SEC East.
Pretty good post, but I think that is overly optimistic to think this next "worst ever" edition of ut football can get 5 wins - even with South Ala. on the schedule (who just got football) and APSU/WKU on the schedule who both dropped scholarship football and had to re-add it. Even with those 3 potential wins, the road game at Mizzou looks like a potential loss and the game at UK maybe a pick-'em.
Speaking of next year for UT here is their schedule
8/31 Austin Peay
9/7 Western Kentucky
9/14 @Oregon
9/21 @Florida
9/28 South Alabama
10/5 UGA
10/19 South Carolina
10/26 @Alabama
11/2 @Missouri
11/9 Auburn
11/23 Vandy
11/30 @Kentucky
Losses
Western Kentucky (wouldnt be a major shock, lost to Wyoming in recent past, struggles against UAB, struggled against Akron last season)
@Oregon-Blowout loss. 66-0. The score will be 35-0 at the half
@Florida-The losing streak continues
UGA-UGA will not be ready to play a game like this, but they will find a way to win.
South Carolina-Better game than expected last year, and probably will be again this season, but the outcome will be the same.
@Alabama-Blowout loss. 52-6. Score will be 6-6 at the half just to give Vol fans some hope.
Vandy-Just to remind Vol fans how far their program has fallen, and it will be another blowout loss at home.
Wins
Austin Peay-How many people will show up for this game, this game isnt even pay-per-view worthy, ESPN3 wont even touch this one.
South Alabama-Maybe a slightly larger crowd, and its a convincing win against a school in Alabama.
@Missouri-Close game, but will probably determine who will be ahead of Kentucky in the SEC East.
Auburn-A no win for any Alabama fan, but I would rather see the vols win this one.
Kentucky-Battle for last place in the SEC East.
Tennessee has a tough road ahead of them in 2013 for sure, but picking Western Kentucky to beat them outright? Guarantee you wouldn't put actual money on that outcome, or at least more than $10 or so.
Here's a slightly optimistic but VERY reasonable outlook:
VS Austin Peay: W 52-7
VS Western Kentucky: W 38-10
@ Oregon: L 42-20
@ Florida: L 26-14
VS South Alabama: W 49-14
VS UGA: W 31-28
VS South Carolina: L 28-21
@ Alabama: L 30-13
@ Missouri: W 21-13
VS Auburn: W 28-17
VS Vanderbilt: W 31-17
@ Kentucky: W 35-10
Admittedly optimistc predictions:
- Butch Jones will get his first win against a ranked opponent year one, and it will come against either UF, UGA, or USCjr. My gut instinct is UGA, as noted above.
- UT rebounds from a loss to Alabama to win their last four. (Mizzou is no gimme, and Auburn has to be better than they were last year. A realist might say 1-2 for those games, even 0-2 isn't inconceivable if you're a true pessimist.)
Predictions I would put money on:
- UT doesn't lose to Western Kentucky. (I'm not even a betting person, but the above poster is welcome to DM me if truly interested in wagering on this game.)
- No loss to Vandy or Kentucky, and we won't lose more than 1 of 10 to either program going forward as long as Jones as coach.
Speaking of next year for UT here is their schedule
8/31 Austin Peay
9/7 Western Kentucky
9/14 @Oregon
9/21 @Florida
9/28 South Alabama
10/5 UGA
10/19 South Carolina
10/26 @Alabama
11/2 @Missouri
11/9 Auburn
11/23 Vandy
11/30 @Kentucky
Losses
Western Kentucky (wouldnt be a major shock, lost to Wyoming in recent past, struggles against UAB, struggled against Akron last season)
@Oregon-Blowout loss. 66-0. The score will be 35-0 at the half
@Florida-The losing streak continues
UGA-UGA will not be ready to play a game like this, but they will find a way to win.
South Carolina-Better game than expected last year, and probably will be again this season, but the outcome will be the same.
@Alabama-Blowout loss. 52-6. Score will be 6-6 at the half just to give Vol fans some hope.
Vandy-Just to remind Vol fans how far their program has fallen, and it will be another blowout loss at home.
Wins
Austin Peay-How many people will show up for this game, this game isnt even pay-per-view worthy, ESPN3 wont even touch this one.
South Alabama-Maybe a slightly larger crowd, and its a convincing win against a school in Alabama.
@Missouri-Close game, but will probably determine who will be ahead of Kentucky in the SEC East.
Auburn-A no win for any Alabama fan, but I would rather see the vols win this one.
Kentucky-Battle for last place in the SEC East.
I gave up on predicting scores a long time ago. Especially a season in advance.
I do certainly agree that next year will be tough for UT because we lose a lot of our offense, which was pretty much the only thing the team had going for them.
I agree with the wins and losses. WKU could be a tossup. Petrino is a scary good coach, though. Oregon will likely be a blowout, but may or may not be to such an extreme. We'll have to see what the fallout is from Chip Kelly leaving.
All I can hope for is that Butch Jones will make the team competitive...make them want to play a full 60. We didn't have that under Dooley. Dooley made no successful halftime adjustments in 3 years. In fact, I'm convinced he just read them lullabies.
I think Vanderbilt loses enough where that is not going to be a blowout loss. I do think, as of now, that it will be a loss, though. Franklin is an excellent recruiter/snake oil salesman, but I am not convinced that he is a good X's and O's guy. He has made a number of decisions that leave me wondering if he's Mark Richt lite.
I'm thinking UT will be 5-7 next season, with a high of 6 and a low of 4 wins. The sad thing is that any capable coach could have taken this year's team to 7 or possibly 8 wins. We needed someone who knew what the F--- to do on defense or at least scheme correctly, and we needed someone that could motivate the players. Instead, we got a train that derailed in the 3rd quarter pretty much every game.
Tennessee has a tough road ahead of them in 2013 for sure, but picking Western Kentucky to beat them outright? Guarantee you wouldn't put actual money on that outcome, or at least more than $10 or so.
Here's a slightly optimistic but VERY reasonable outlook:
VS Austin Peay: W 52-7
VS Western Kentucky: W 38-10
@ Oregon: L 42-20
@ Florida: L 26-14
VS South Alabama: W 49-14
VS UGA: W 31-28
VS South Carolina: L 28-21
@ Alabama: L 30-13
@ Missouri: W 21-13
VS Auburn: W 28-17
VS Vanderbilt: W 31-17
@ Kentucky: W 35-10
Admittedly optimistc predictions:
- Butch Jones will get his first win against a ranked opponent year one, and it will come against either UF, UGA, or USCjr. My gut instinct is UGA, as noted above.
- UT rebounds from a loss to Alabama to win their last four. (Mizzou is no gimme, and Auburn has to be better than they were last year. A realist might say 1-2 for those games, even 0-2 isn't inconceivable if you're a true pessimist.)
Predictions I would put money on:
- UT doesn't lose to Western Kentucky. (I'm not even a betting person, but the above poster is welcome to DM me if truly interested in wagering on this game.)
- No loss to Vandy or Kentucky, and we won't lose more than 1 of 10 to either program going forward as long as Jones as coach.
I hate to break it to you, but our offense loses far too much to score points like that. Yes, I hope Butch Jones can get a lot out of what he has...but aside from the O-line, you're going to be having to learn a LOT of new names on offense.
And we're not winning 8 games. Maybe last year, Saban or Spurrier could've coached us to 8 wins. Not next year. If we're competitive in 8 games by the end of the 3rd quarter, I'll be happy.
Tennessee has a tough road ahead of them in 2013 for sure, but picking Western Kentucky to beat them outright? Guarantee you wouldn't put actual money on that outcome, or at least more than $10 or so.
Here's a slightly optimistic but VERY reasonable outlook:
VS Austin Peay: W 52-7
VS Western Kentucky: W 38-10
@ Oregon: L 42-20
@ Florida: L 26-14
VS South Alabama: W 49-14
VS UGA: W 31-28
VS South Carolina: L 28-21
@ Alabama: L 30-13
@ Missouri: W 21-13
VS Auburn: W 28-17
VS Vanderbilt: W 31-17
@ Kentucky: W 35-10
Admittedly optimistc predictions:
- Butch Jones will get his first win against a ranked opponent year one, and it will come against either UF, UGA, or USCjr. My gut instinct is UGA, as noted above.
- UT rebounds from a loss to Alabama to win their last four. (Mizzou is no gimme, and Auburn has to be better than they were last year. A realist might say 1-2 for those games, even 0-2 isn't inconceivable if you're a true pessimist.)
Predictions I would put money on:
- UT doesn't lose to Western Kentucky. (I'm not even a betting person, but the above poster is welcome to DM me if truly interested in wagering on this game.)
- No loss to Vandy or Kentucky, and we won't lose more than 1 of 10 to either program going forward as long as Jones as coach.
Yeah as of right now im going with WKU beating the Vols, 28-21 or something simular. WKU is confident they can come in the Neyland and win. UT's recent struggles with schools like UAB and Akron is more than enough proof for me that they could drop a game like this.
Oregon and Alabama will both be blowout losses.
The key game will be the Auburn game, it could be the difference between a bowl game (BBVA Compass) or staying at home.
I hate to break it to you, but our offense loses far too much to score points like that. Yes, I hope Butch Jones can get a lot out of what he has...but aside from the O-line, you're going to be having to learn a LOT of new names on offense.
And we're not winning 8 games. Maybe last year, Saban or Spurrier could've coached us to 8 wins. Not next year. If we're competitive in 8 games by the end of the 3rd quarter, I'll be happy.
You may be correct, but at this point there is simply no reason not to be at least a little bit optimistic. Did you ever hear anyone make a serious prediction last January that Texas A&M would be one of the best teams in the country this year? Most "experts" put them at 6-6. Even as late as the summer, Johnny Manziel was just a punk kid with acne and a hilarious shirtless mug shot... certainly not "Johnny Football," future Heisman winner and national phenomenon. The truth is none of us know or can forsee as much as we think.
Those predicting Tennessee winning only 4-5 games could very well turn out to be right, but I doubt it. I think those people underestimate just how many games we lost over the last three years solely due to Dooley's horrendous coaching. Look at 2010. The cupboard was more bare that year than it will be this year, and that was essentially an 8-win season if Dooley doesn't completely bungle the end of two games (LSU and UNC).
If Tennessee has the ability to win 6-8 games in 2010 with Derek Frigg'n Dooley as head coach, they can certainly do the same in 2013 with proven winner Butch Jones. And that is exactly the range I think they'll be in, with the two variables being Mizzou and Auburn.
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